Ch. 139 'Beast'

“Is anyone there!”

A hand reached out from the pile of fish.

It was Kay.

His entire body was pinned down, and he had no leverage to exert force.

Even for Kay, it was difficult to climb out on his own.

“Over here.” Melina reached out a hand and pulled out the flailing Kay.

“Phew—”

Kay breathed in the fresh air as he saw the beautiful world once again.

Although the air in the warehouse wasn’t fresh at all, it was better than having his face covered by fish.

He stood up from the pile of fish with a look of disgust, just in time to see Mia and Artoria enter through the door.

“How did it go?”

Artoria shook her head at him.

“Well,” Kay laughed, scratching the back of his head and finding a few fish scales, “this sort of thing happens often.”

Not far away, the door belonging to the watchman was opened.

With a creak, Bridge poked his head out from behind the door. “Is it over?”

“It’s over!” Kay waved his hand at him.

“Although we let it escape, it was wounded. It shouldn’t come back to cause trouble for a while.”

“Then…”

Bridge wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

He had been hiding in the room since the battle began, listening to the roars outside.

His heart and soul had been trembling.

“Please rest assured, Mr. Bridge,” Artoria said seriously. “Until the threat of that monster is resolved, the commission is not considered over.”

“That’s good then.” Looking at the demolished gate, Bridge felt a pang of heartache.

After a brief conversation and an agreement to return for the night watch in the following days, Bridge saw the group off.

Of course, he paid a sum of money as the commission for tonight.

Looking up at the moon hanging high in the sky, the group, now thoroughly marinated in the smell of fish, began their walk back.

Kay sighed and groaned the whole way.

If anyone was unlucky, no one here compared to him.

Buried in a pile of fish, he was covered in the stench of sea fish that had been sitting out for three days.

“After I get back, I absolutely must take a good bath.”

Just as he finished saying this, a figure appeared in front of them.

White hair, white robes, holding a large staff and carrying a torch.

“Merlin?!”

“There’s no time! Quick, come with me!”

As soon as they met, Merlin began shouting in a panic.

“Wait a moment!” Kay stopped Merlin. “What exactly is going on?!”

“I’ll explain on the way!” Merlin explained, then grabbed Artoria.

The group had to follow Merlin at a trot, arriving at the coast ten minutes later.

“Get on the boat, get on the boat.”

Like herding cattle, he pushed everyone into a small boat that no one had seen before.

“This is someone else’s boat, isn’t it, Merlin?” Artoria asked uneasily.

Merlin gripped the oars and pushed the small boat away from the pier. “It’s fine to borrow it for a bit.”

“Now can you tell us exactly what this is all about?”

Mia asked, bewildered by the whole ordeal.

Merlin rowed the boat, taking the group toward the nearby Isle of Anglesey.

“That monster you encountered earlier…” He looked toward the island, swallowing nervously.

It was no secret that Merlin possessed Clairvoyance, which allowed him to see everything happening in the present.

“Do you know what that thing is?”

Artoria and Kay looked at each other and shook their heads.

To them, it was just a commission.

Mia, however…

She frowned slightly.

Was that white feline monster an important creature?

Could it be…

“Cath Palug?” Mia suddenly realized why she had such a strange sense of déjà vu.

“That’s right… huh? How do you know its name?”

Merlin looked at Mia in astonishment.

He had a special ability, which needed no explanation.

But Mia…

“Don’t worry about that,” Mia waved her hand. “Just explain it to Artoria.”

“Cough.” Merlin cleared his throat as he rowed.

“Artoria, Catholicism divides human sins into seven categories, which happen to correspond to the seven virtues of a knight.”

“The evils of humanity, if left unchecked, will produce disasters that destroy mankind. The Seven Evils of Humanity correspond to seven disasters. In the world of magecraft, these disasters representing the evils of humanity are known as ‘Beasts’.”

“You mean?”

“Exactly,” Merlin nodded. “The one you saw is one of the ‘Beasts’.”

“…” Artoria and Kay glanced at each other.

They clearly had looks of complete disbelief.

What Merlin just said—the Seven Evils of Humanity bringing disasters, represented by ‘Beasts’.

Based on their impression from just now.

That’s it?

Could that monster really be called one of the Seven Beasts that would bring disaster to humanity?

“Don’t look at me like that.” Merlin shrunk his neck.

“I don’t know why it’s that guy either… When a ‘Beast’ is born or what form it takes when it manifests are matters of the ‘future’, not the ‘present’. I’m not exactly a prophet. At most, I just know a bit more than others.”

“That ‘Beast’ is still in its juvenile stage. However, because of your battle just now, it seems to be awakening. Once it awakens, that will be the true disaster!”

“I see.” Artoria pondered. “So, Merlin, you want us to deal with that Beast while it’s still in its juvenile stage?”

“Mhm, mhm.” Merlin nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.

Kay smacked his lips. “You don’t seem like such a responsible Soldier…”

“Hey now,” Merlin tried to explain with a stiff expression, “I know you think I’m unreliable, but this is a major matter concerning the fate of humanity!”

“You mean a major matter concerning humanity is going to be resolved on this ordinary night, by us ordinary people, in an ordinary way?”

Merlin’s mouth twitched. “…It sounds that way, yes… but absolutely do not underestimate that ‘Beast’!”

“I understand,” Artoria nodded. “Respecting one’s enemy is the humble virtue of a knight.”

The small boat carrying the group drifted across the channel in the night.

It felt very much like the calm before a storm.

The channel was only about two hundred meters wide, and before long, they approached the opposite shore.

“Be careful,” Mia warned.

She was already prepared for battle.

The small boat docked at the village pier, and Artoria and Kay were the first to step off.

There was no strange smell in the air.

However…

“Don’t you think this village is a bit strange?”

Kay asked, observing his surroundings.

“Yes.” Artoria also had a solemn look on her face.

The entire village was abnormally quiet.

“It’s because there are no soldiers on patrol, right?” Mia said.

Although the night was naturally quiet, in this village, there weren’t even guards who should have been patrolling at night.

Moreover, this was a village so close to the city.

She took a breath.

Then she stepped forward, pulling ahead of the others.

“Let’s go in and take a look first.”